


Reset

by SalmonMeister



Category: Devilman (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Development, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon Fix-It, Work In Progress, don't worry I'm getting there it'll just take a second, i wrote this instead of doing school, maybe not completely in character but I like healthy relationships so what can you say, this fanfic is a coping mechanism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27961838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalmonMeister/pseuds/SalmonMeister
Summary: After the world is destroyed and all humanity is wiped out, Ryo finds himself crying for the first time. God notices this change of heart and offers a deal to him; the earth will be reset and Ryo can live again with Akira, but he has to give up all his plans and live as a human. Can he do it and win back Akira's trust?
Relationships: Asuka Ryo | Satan & Fudo Akira, Asuka Ryo | Satan/Fudo Akira
Comments: 16
Kudos: 102





	1. The End, And The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!!!!!!!! This is my first time EVER writing a fan fiction or posting on Ao3 so I'm still very new to all this. I also haven't beta'd this because I wrote it an hour ago in English class. (Update: I've since gotten a friend to read this before I publish it, thanks boo) Better than any essay I'd write there lmao. I also don't have a definitive plan for the rest of it so I'm down for suggestions in the comments :3 I really hope you enjoy my take on the ending of Devilman Crybaby!!

“You can see the stars clearly. It's all because the humans are gone. 

The rabbit is probably dead. Akira. There's no rabbit in that sky. I saw it with my own eyes.

Back then, I didn't know what you meant. Love doesn't exist. 

There's no such thing as love. Therefore, there is no sorrow. That's what I thought.

Akira. Why am I the only one talking? Akira? 

Akira. Right now... I'm feeling something. What is this? Tell me. What is this, Akira? 

Feel what I'm feeling right now. Listen to me. Akira. 

Look at me. Respond to me. 

Don't forget that you've been with me till now. Say something.

No, Akira. Don't leave me alone.

Don't leave me. 

Please, be somewhere. 

Say something! 

Akira!”

Ryo clutched the corpse of his fallen love, the only light in his dark world he had ever known and only realized it after it was gone.

For the first time in his timeless existence, Satan cried.

Akira had known this would happen. He warned him. He had said that if the whole human race was destroyed, he wouldn’t go with Ryo to save himself. He would stay with his family.

Ryo hadn’t believed him at the time. 

Surely this dump of a planet wouldn’t be worth fighting and dying for. Surely Akira would come to see that and join Ryo in the destruction of the world, and share in his hate for God, the cold, distant being who put them all here in the first place.

Ryo had underestimated the love of a human heart, and now was feeling the repercussions. 

Having finally learned what it meant to feel emotions, he had no one left to share them with.

What was even the point of destroying the Earth? To spite God? Someone he hadn’t seen in millenia, eons, or even an eternity ago? Had he sacrificed the true purpose of his life for this goal that seemed to go nowhere?

Ryo felt no remorse for the killing of the human race. He felt no remorse for the people, families, homes, civilizations he had destroyed. But, reflecting on his actions for the first time, he thought

_God couldn’t care less about them. They can always restart the Earth. Haven’t we been in this cycle for millenia? I destroy the Earth, they rebuild it, and the cycle repeats. Every time I end life on this miserable planet, it springs up again. My purpose is to spite God for casting me down from heaven, but they don’t care what I do in the slightest, because they can always start over._

Ryo again gazed at the blank face of Akira, the only person who had ever loved him, and the only person he had ever loved. Had all this destruction been worth it? 

Ryo had told himself the menial joy of the time he had spent with Akira would be nothing in comparison to finally being able to stop God in their tracks, yell “Don’t you regret casting me from grace?!” and revel for eternity in his victory.

But where is that joy now? That victory? That feeling he had been chasing for so long? 

Ryo continued to cry, gently holding what remained of Akira in his hands for what felt like several eternities longer than he had spent with him alive.

“...I want to go back.”

Ryo startled himself with the words that came out of his mouth. Before he could fully process what he had just thought, a blinding light burst into being in front of him. Ryo shielded his eyes from the dazzling brightness, still holding onto Akira with one arm.

A booming voice spoke, emanating from the ball of light that was slowly growing dimmer.

“So, you’ve finally learned your lesson.”

Ryo lowered his hand and squinted at the newly formed figure standing in front of him.

“...God.” He spat out with disdain. “What do you want with me now?”

“You’ve changed,” the voice continued, now at a normal volume. “You’ve learned, at least a little, what it means to have a heart.”

“And why do you care!” Ryo shouted, now shaking with rage, another emotion new to him. “You’ve cast me down here for eternity, for what?! Only to suffer?!”

“I sent you down to Earth so you could learn of love.” The voice offered. It spoke with kind words, but not the kindness of a mother. The kindness of a distant, almighty figure that wanted to best for their subjects but didn’t personally involve themselves. 

“Why have you come down here now? To gloat in your victory?”

“Quite the opposite. I’ve come to propose a deal.”

This stopped Ryo in his tracks. He looked at God with a surprised gaze, his anger and sorrow forgotten momentarily.

“A… deal?”

“Yes. A deal. I can set back the world, restoring it as if none of this ever happened. You get to live again with your beloved.”

Ryo’s eyes widened in shock. “You… you can do that?”

“Yes, but it takes a lot of power from me and all of the angels, so it is only able to be done once in a very long time. Because of this, I have a few conditions.”

“And what would those be?” Ryo asked suspiciously, but he was having difficulty hiding his interest.

“You agree to live out your life as a human with Akira, and never harm another again. You give up all demonic powers. Akira will retain his memories, but everyone else will forget what happened. The world will return to as it was before you started the process to destroy it.”

Ryo listened to these terms carefully, and stared down at Akira in his arms. He knew that no matter how long he thought about it, his answer would be the same. Any chance to see Akira, alive and breathing again, he would give anything for.

“So, I’ll be a normal human? And everything will be set back?”

“Yes.”

“Then why have Akira keep his memories? ...It will only bring him pain to know who I truly am and what I’ve done.”

“It is to keep you in check. Even if you’ve learned how to love, you can’t unlearn your nature.”

“..... alright. I accept.”

“Good. I hope you find happiness. You’ve been in darkness for so long.”

God strode forward until they were directly in front of Ryo and the corpse of Akira. They placed their hands on each of their foreheads, and light started emanating from the points of contact. As the world started to crumble away in a brilliant light, Ryo heard one last whisper in his ear.

“ … good luck… my son… ”

Ryo closed his eyes and let himself fall into the light.

\----------------

Akira was slowly coming into consciousness.

_Where… am I? What happened?_

He tried to open his eyes, but the blindingly bright lights quickly made him shut them again. He heard footsteps coming closer, and a familiar voice shouting.

“....Akira, Akira! Are you alive? Wake up, wake up!”

His shoulders were being shaken with a cold, desperate grip. Akira groaned and attempted to open his eyes again.

“Akira! Can you hear me? Akira, say something.” 

The figure above him was still blurry, but Akira could make out the silhouette of a blond undercut and the glint of usually emotionless blue eyes. But not this time. Those eyes had an emotion Akira had never seen in them before. The best he could describe it would be sadness and relief.

They were in Ryo’s penthouse. It looked completely intact, as if the world had never been destroyed. Glancing out the window, Akira saw cars on the dark streets, zipping like neon ants, crisscrossing the city roads.

“.... it worked.!”

Now fully conscious, Akira was trapped in a tight embrace from Ryo. The blonde boy’s shoulders were shaking slightly. If he were anyone else, Akira would have thought they were crying. He smiled softly and went to raise his hands to hug Ryo back when he suddenly stopped, his eyes going wide.

_The 4x4 relay race._

_Miki’s head on a stake._

_The devil-men, rising to fight together._

_A world on fire._

_An angel with 4 pairs of wings._

_Satan._

_A starry sky._

Akira tensed up and shoved Ryo off of him. “What happened?!” 

He attempted to ask in a threatening tone, but he was shaking too violently and his voice cracked too much to carry the message across. It was only in that moment he realized that he was no longer in his demon form, and couldn’t feel the presence of Amon. 

He looked down at his pale, small hands, clenched them, and looked up again at Ryo. Satan, as he now knew him, again looked just like the boy he had known all these years. His best friend.

This boy now sat on the floor staring at Akira, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised, making him look almost scared. Scared of what the only thing he loved in this world would think of him now.

Ryo sighed a sigh unreadable to Akira, but it may have been a sigh of bittersweetness. He looked up at Akira with a defeated smile, and said,

“God made a deal with the devil.”


	2. Conflicting Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The argument starts!!! hehehehehehhehehe ANGST

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry this chapter is extremely short T_T. I had a short burst of inspiration, wrote this at midnight a while ago, and then got writers block so it's a lot shorter than I planned, but something is better than nothing right? I promise the next chapter will be longer :3

The newly revived Akira stared at Ryo, eyes wide in blurriness and confusion.

“A deal…. with the devil?”

Ryo couldn’t seem to meet his eyes anymore. “That’s what I said. After I accomplished my goal… after I wiped out all life on Earth… it was nothing like I wanted. I thought I had nothing to lose and everything to gain… turns out I had everything to lose and nothing to gain.”

Ryo looked up at Akira again, the pain clearly written on his face. Akira was still in shock from the discovery his childhood friend was Satan himself, his own death, the sudden shift back into ‘normalcy,’ and now this rare display of emotion.

“That shiny bastard God then came down and proposed a deal. The world would be reset to before the end started, and I would have my powers stripped,” Ryo half-chuckled-half-sighed. “Objectively a terrible deal, but I took it anyways. For you Akira.”

The look of sorrow and remorse quickly morphed into an expression of wide-eyed desperation and longing. He stood up and started slowly approaching Akira who was still sitting on the floor, wordless and wide-eyed, each step bringing him tentatively closer to the shaking boy.

“But that’s all behind us, right? Right? You’re alive now, no one remembers but us, so it’s fine. We can pretend like nothing ever happened! Start over! Yes, that sounds good! What do you say we put this all behind us?

Please Akira. I did this all for you, and you’re alive aren’t you? So forget this all happened! We can live out the rest of our lives as humans, never to see another devil again. Doesn’t that sound great to you?

As long as I have you, nothing else matters.” Ryo tried for a reassuring smile, but it came across strained and off, as if something wasn’t quite right in his head.

Akira stared in shock, and then shook himself out of his stupefied gaze. His expression of scared confusion slowly transformed into one of a quiet, indignant rage. He slowly drew himself to his full height, once again shorter than Ryo. While still avoiding eye contact, his voice came out smooth and almost inaudible.

“...nothing else matters… huh?”

“That’s what I said, yes? Was that wrong?” 

Akira’s hands clenched to stop them from shaking, tears now beginning to pool in his eyes. A single tear reached the threshold of his eyelid and fell onto his cheek.

“So all those lives….. All those people you slaughtered for nothing… and then brought back like nothing….. “ Akira’s tone was slowly rising, the tension building up in his voice. 

He flung his head up to look directly into Ryo’s blue begging eyes, his own brown ones now shining with tears and rage.

“You! Is that all you think of the people of this world?! Not enough to spare even a second thought?! You walk around with your head held high like nothing matters!” Akira started walking forward, closing the distance between him and Ryo, tears freely flowing from his eyes.

“You say you care for me, that I’m all you need, and yet you don’t even care about the people in my life who I hold dear?!!” 

Akira grabbed Ryo’s shirt collar and pulled him toward himself, now yelling directly at him with barely a few inches of space between them.

“You monster! You despicable beast, I HATE YOU! 

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, I DESPISE YOU! 

YOU’RE LOWEST KIND OF PERSON, ONE WHO ONLY CARES FOR YOURSELF!!”

Akira flung Ryo back to the floor with a scream of built up pain and anger, fully trembling and glaring down at the blond boy.

“You…… 

I will never understand you.”

With these final world, Akira turned around and marched in the direction of the penthouse exit.

“Akira, wait! A-Akira! I’m sorry, please don’t go! Akira?! Akira, don’t leave me, no! Akira! AKIRA!”

None of these frantic words phased Akira. He didn’t even seem to hear them. Without a second glance back, he was already out the door and out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A question: are you guys ok with the super short chapters or do you want me to stock a couple up and release em all together like I've seen some other authors on here do? Also I promise it's not going to be all angsty, i PROMISE, OK? I can't handle the sad either ;-;


	3. Crater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo does some introspection (wild I know)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise :(((((( Seems I am physically incapable of writing a chapter longer than 1k words. I also realize I never put the title of the Chapter in, sorry guys, it was supposed to be "Crater"

It was as if the world had caved in.

_No no no no no no no. No! NO! You can’t! You can’t just walk out on me! I SAVED you! I saved this godforsaken world for you!_

_I tried to see the rabbit, I tried! You said it was there and I looked! You promised!_

Ryo fell to his knees, his face seizing up but refusing to yield any more tears. Akira’s words echoed in his head, getting louder and louder, more and more frantic as he heard them over and over again.

_I hate you._

_From the bottom of my heart, I despise you._

_You’re the lowest kind of person, one who only cares for yourself._

_You…._

_I will never understand you._

Ryo clutched his head, shivering, staring at the ground, reeling at the blow Akira had just landed. It was worse than any attack he had ever endured. 

What had turned his calm, kind, forgiving, empathetic friend against him? Nothing was wrong! The world was back to normal, just the way Akira wanted it.

Ryo began to remember all the times Akira had cried for others, especially that small kitten when they first met. At the time, Ryo had been confused, if not curious. He later came to realize that Akira felt things much differently than him. He cried, cared, and fought for others, strangers he barely knew. Ryo acknowledged in this moment how even if he himself had never felt this way, that it was very real for his best friend. A new concept for him.

_I must have done something to upset him. Akira doesn’t work in rational ways. Even though the world is back, he holds resentment towards me for causing it in the first place. He said I killed the people of this world like nothing, and brought them back like nothing. But isn’t that what they are? All the people in this world, if you have never seen them or talked to them before, don’t they basically not exist?_

In the past Ryo had read some studies about the human brain to try and understand his friend and his bizarre behaviors, but all he could grasp were that humans were complicated, illogical, and impractical, so he never looked into it more. He had dismissed his friend’s actions as the redundant stammering of an imperfect human brain, but now was wondering if he was the one missing something. 

Even when they were turned into devilmen, many humans rose together to stop the destruction of the Earth. They showed genuine empathy, concern, comradery, and bravery to stand together against Satan. At the time, Ryo had dismissed their actions as foolish, but now he was starting to feel a creeping yearning, a longing to understand what had compelled these strangers to band together.

_Maybe that was what Akira was talking about. His connection with strangers, the people of this world I’ve never had._

Ryo slowly dropped his hands from his head and sat silently on the floor of his penthouse, contemplating. Just a moment ago, he was wallowing in anguish and self pity at the words of Akira, the one who meant most to him, the one he sacrificed his life’s purpose for. Now, he was analyzing what had been said, going over all the possibilities of the causes and outcomes of the actions that could have spurred such hurtful words. 

Ryo steeled himself, gaining a quiet but determined look in his eye.

_I’m going to fix this._

_I’m going to get my Akira back._

_I promise to the rabbit on the moon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUPRISEEEE Ryo is a decent human being? Who knew??‽!!


	4. One-Sided Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira gets reunited with Miki *sparkles*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uploaded this before my beta read it because I was impatient and then they had some feedback so I took it down and now i'm uploading it again hehe

Akira stumbled on his way to the elevator of the apartment complex, too many emotions and thoughts swirling through his head to pick a single one from another, impossible to tell where one started and another ended. He didn’t know how to process what had just happened - well it technically didn’t happen but it very much did - in the timeline he had just come from and the recent confrontation with Ryo.

_Ryo_

_My friend_

_My enemy_

_An angel_

_Satan_

_Human_

_Murderer_

He shoved these thoughts aside, knowing if he lingered on them much longer he wouldn’t be able to make it home.

Oh, the elevator’s here.

He stepped in, quickly pressing the button for the first floor before leaning heavily on the handrail in the small descending box, trying not to spiral into a whirlpool of emotions when he realized. 

The world has reset. It’s like nothing ever happened. Which means…

_Miki._

_Miki!!_

The doors couldn’t open soon enough.

As soon as they slid wide enough to allow him through, he was out the door, rushing through the lobby of the building, other residents staring at the small boy who had dashed from the elevator like the building was on fire. 

Akira didn’t care that he would have to run all the way home in the dark. He let himself fall into the familiar rhythm of a steady jog. All his years in track and field were good for something at least. 

He couldn’t say how long it took him to get home because he blanked out his mind in favor of focusing on his breathing as he ran.

At least his lungs won’t betray him. 

He finally made it to the front door of his shared house with Miki and her family. His family too. Hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath before he raised his hand to knock. He hesitated right before he could, though. What if this was all a lie? What if this was some sort of twisted afterlife where the streets were there but none of the people he loved? What if he walked into an empty house, or worse a destroyed one? Nothing he has passed so far gave the indication of anything that had happened to the world since the fateful night Ryo declared war on humanity, but then again nothing had been exactly logical recently. 

He worked up the courage to knock on the door.

“Just a second, I’ll be right there!”

Akira’s breath caught in his chest. That was her voice all right. 

The door cracked open, and a petite but strong girl with green eyes and brown hair stood there unharmed, as if her head had never been separated from her body.

After a moment of staring, Akira rushed forward to hug her with all his might, trying and failing to suppress his trademark tears. 

“Woah!! Are… are you ok Akira?” Miki said gently, distancing herself from him just enough to look at his face.

“Y-yeah…. “ Akira sniffled. “Sorry I just… it’s really nice to see you’re ok.”

“And why wouldn’t I be? Besides, you’re obviously not ok, look at you! What happened?

“I… I can’t say,” Akira said solemnly, hanging his head to hide his face.

“You can’t say as in ‘you don’t know’ or you can’t say as in ‘you don’t want to tell me’?” Miki admonished playfully, pulling Akira back up to eye level with her. 

Akira panicked at the eye contact but relaxed as he saw the caring and familiar expression on her face, one of exasperated concern and love. Instead of responding, Akira simply stared at her, waiting for her to make the connection for him. 

Miki sighed a not-unloving sigh and she guided him by his shoulders through the front door. 

“It's okay, let’s go inside. Did something happen while you were with your friend? The one dressed in all white?”

Akira froze. He couldn’t tell her about what actually had happened. One, because she wouldn’t believe him and two, he never wanted her to know of the horrors that had happened to not only her but the entire world, Akira included.

“Yeah, something happened… we got into a fight.” Ha, that’s one way to put it. “I don’t want to talk about it, but thanks for asking.”

“I’m always here if you need me.” Miki said in a kind voice. She gently led Akira upstairs to his room and set him on his bed. 

“You’re probably tired after all that, you ran home for Christ’s sake! Here, I’ll get you a glass of water and then you can go to bed ok? You’ll feel better in the morning.”

Akira silently nodded at her, not knowing how else to respond. He stared at the ceiling as he waited for Miki to come back, grateful when she did with a glass of water as promised and another hug.

“Goodnight and sweet dreams, Akira. I hope you feel better in the morning,” she said with a sweet smile as she left his room to go to bed herself.

As Akira closed his eyes and started drifting off to sleep, he had one last thought before succumbing to the comfy darkness.

_Maybe it’ll be ok._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how to write Miki so she's just me now lmao


End file.
